"If you procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem... break the problem into parts, and handle one part at a time"
About this Quote
Overwhelm is the fuel of procrastination. When a problem feels big and amorphous, the brain flags it as threat and reaches for delay. Robert Collier cuts through that paralysis with a simple, behavioral instruction: shrink the scope until action becomes easy, then move. The power lies not in heroics but in reframing complexity as a sequence of concrete steps that can be started now.
Collier wrote in the early 20th century, a pioneer of practical self-help and direct-response marketing. His sales letters guided readers through small commitments toward a purchase; the same psychology disarms resistance to work. Specific, bite-sized actions reduce ambiguity and fear. Each completed piece gives a hit of progress that builds momentum, a pattern modern researchers call the progress principle. Momentum matters because the hardest part of hard work is getting started.
Breaking a problem apart also clarifies thinking. Vague goals turn crisp when translated into actions: define the question, gather three sources, draft a messy paragraph, revisit and refine. What looked like a monolith reveals dependencies and hidden assumptions, letting you sequence tasks and adjust early. Small steps create fast feedback loops, which beat perfectionism and the all-or-nothing mindset that fuels delay.
This approach echoes contemporary methods from Agile sprints to the Pomodoro Technique and the next-action focus of Getting Things Done. The common thread is respect for human attention. Willpower is limited, but structure can be engineered. By placing a low-friction next step right in front of you, you make discipline easier and success more likely.
Collier’s counsel is both compassionate and demanding. Do not bully yourself for hesitating; reshape the work so you can begin. Then do the next piece, and the next. Big problems shrink as you accumulate completions. Progress becomes self-reinforcing, and what once felt impossible resolves into a series of ordinary, doable actions.
Collier wrote in the early 20th century, a pioneer of practical self-help and direct-response marketing. His sales letters guided readers through small commitments toward a purchase; the same psychology disarms resistance to work. Specific, bite-sized actions reduce ambiguity and fear. Each completed piece gives a hit of progress that builds momentum, a pattern modern researchers call the progress principle. Momentum matters because the hardest part of hard work is getting started.
Breaking a problem apart also clarifies thinking. Vague goals turn crisp when translated into actions: define the question, gather three sources, draft a messy paragraph, revisit and refine. What looked like a monolith reveals dependencies and hidden assumptions, letting you sequence tasks and adjust early. Small steps create fast feedback loops, which beat perfectionism and the all-or-nothing mindset that fuels delay.
This approach echoes contemporary methods from Agile sprints to the Pomodoro Technique and the next-action focus of Getting Things Done. The common thread is respect for human attention. Willpower is limited, but structure can be engineered. By placing a low-friction next step right in front of you, you make discipline easier and success more likely.
Collier’s counsel is both compassionate and demanding. Do not bully yourself for hesitating; reshape the work so you can begin. Then do the next piece, and the next. Big problems shrink as you accumulate completions. Progress becomes self-reinforcing, and what once felt impossible resolves into a series of ordinary, doable actions.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Discipline |
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